Center Stage
by XxHeavenxSentxX
Summary: Based off the manga Love Stage! Naruto comes from a show biz family. After a traumatizing event in front of the screen, Naruto wants little to do with show biz. But forces seem to be against him when ten years later he's coerced into reappearing on a TV commercial, reuniting him with Sasuke Uchiha who seems to think they have a connection. SASUNARU!


**Summary: **_Based off the manga Love Stage! __Naruto comes from a show biz family. After a traumatizing event in front of the screen, Naruto wants little to do with show biz. But forces seem to be against him when ten years later he's coerced into appearing on a TV commercial, reuniting him with Sasuke Uchiha who seems to think they have some sort of connection. _

**Pairings: **_SasuNaru, One-sided NaruSaku, MinaKush and Others_

**Warnings: **_yaoi, language, crossdressing, obsessive behavior, rated teen as of right now but rating may go up _

**Author's Note: **_Sorry! I couldn't stop myself from writing a new story. Especially considering the fact that I think Love Stage! has the best storyline for a SasuNaru fic Don't you think? xD_

**P.S.** _Don't worry, UDNM should be up in hopefully about a week. _

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**00: Ten Years Ago **

"I don't want to go," says an eight year old Naruto who's perched in a comfortable position on the leather couch and deeply enthralled in his current video game of choice much to Kushina Uzumaki's dismay.

He continuously smashes his small fingers onto the buttons of his game controller before letting out a loud whoop when he beats his current level. It had taken him nearly three days to pass level twenty. It might've taken him less if he hadn't been banned from playing video games.

His excitement is short lived though when the screen suddenly goes black just as the save menu comes up. He lets out a loud groan.

"Ma!"

"Ma!" Kushina mocks as she takes the game controller from his slack grip.

Naruto shoots daggers at her, crossing his arms against his chest to show her that he isn't budging. How dare she? Now he has to replay that stupid level again. He stomps his legs onto the ground to get his point across. He's mad.

"I gave you two hours. Time's up! We have to get going before we're late," Kushina scolds, not the least bit in the mood for her son's tantrums.

Naruto scowls.

"I don't want to go to your stupid movie. It's boring and it sucks. I want to stay here and play video games and read mangas and eat ramen."

Kushina pinches the bridge of her nose. She doesn't even bother scolding him on his use of language. It's too bad his father's not here. She knows full well he wouldn't be acting this way in front of him. He's the reason Naruto agreed to come along in the first place. But that was yesterday. And things change, apparently. Especially where an eight year old is concerned.

"It's not a movie. It's a commercial. You know what, I don't have time for this," Kushina says with a put upon sigh. Then she's leaving the room. And for a split second a smile tugs at the corner of Naruto's lips, thinking that he's won this round until she returns with his coat and shoes. The scowl reappears.

She then grabs his arm, trying to put the jacket on with as much force as she can muster but he keeps fighting her all the way. He wiggles away, only to have her follow shortly after.

"Will you stop? Will you just stop," Kushina demands, her voice louder than intended but it seems to have the intended affect because seconds later Naruto stops squirming. He tries to ignore the unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something along the lines of guilt.

Kushina lets out a long drawn out sigh before saying, "How about this? If you come along I'll buy you five bowls of ramen at Ichiraku's. How does that sound?"

This isn't the first time she's had to bribe him into coming with her to a shoot. But it's for the greater good she tells herself.

Just like she expected, it works like a charm. Naruto's eyes light up like Christmas came early and for him, it most definitely did.

"Really?"

He's smiling now, the scowl long forgotten.

"Really."

The smile soon turns into a full blown grin.

"Okay."

Ten minutes later after Kushina's gotten Naruto into his red winter jacket and black shoes they're sitting in the backseat of their town car. He no longer looks upset, but rather content as he stares out the window.

By the time they make it to set, nothing can prepare them for the utter chaos. The moment Naruto steps out of the car, he grabs onto his mother's hand. Being on set has always made him uneasy, and antsy.

"Oh, thank god you're finally here," a female voice says with a sound of relief.

Naruto turns along with his mother to find a figure walking towards them, a wild look in her eyes. Naruto looks up at his mother to find that her eyebrows are furrowed in concern.

"What is it Mikoto?"

"Genma is having a meltdown. You know the little girl they cast, the one who was supposed to play the flower girl," Mikoto says, her words a rush of urgency. At Kushina's nod she continues, "Her parents called in, she just came down with the flu. And unfortunately for us we can't get another girl on such short notice."

"That is a problem," Kushina says just as Mikoto's gaze flickers down to Naruto, as if noticing him for the first time. Naruto squirms under the sudden scrutiny. And it looks as if Mikoto's eyes brighten. Not before long is Kushina following her gaze.

And now Naruto is just confused about why all the attention is on him and possibly a little bit scared. A part of him is about five seconds away from running.

"A girl, huh?" Kushina says slowly, and Naruto could've sworn he saw a twinkle in her eyes.

"Kushina! You're finally here!" A voice says, this time masculine.

All three turn to see a man with a baseball cap and a tooth pick in his mouth walking towards them. Not looking the least bit happy.

"Director! I hear you're in need of a girl," Kushina says, before she's grabbing Naruto. Her nails dig deeply into his shoulder and Naruto has to fight back the urge to wince. "How about my son?

At the look of hesitation on his face she says,

"He may be a boy, but I'm sure my stylist can pull it off."

Naruto stiffens. Finally understanding the implication of what she just said and not liking it one bit.

"Mmm," the director says, surveying Naruto from head to toe and making him squirm under the intense scrutiny. "It just might work."

Which is how Naruto finds himself some odd minutes later, after being quickly ushered into the dressing room. He's standing in front of the mirror, dressed in a frilly pink dress, uncomfortable white shoes and a wig that made his head itch, being cooed by three women. Or to be precise, two women and one man. But the man might as well have been a woman with the way his sleek black hair fell all the way to his waist and his constant cooing like a mother hen. The three hairstylists were Haku, Guren and Mei.

"You look so adorable!"

"I could just eat you right up!"

"The dress is so cute!"

"This is our best masterpiece yet!"

With each word Naruto cheeks brighten.

"Oh look, he's turning red!"

Then his cheeks are being pinched and he has to fight the sudden urge to kick them away. He's only doing this because his mom promised to get him a weeks' worth of ramen at Ichiraku's instead of just simply five bowls. Of course they could just go to the supermarket but ramen at Ichiraku's is way better.

There's a sudden knock at the door, then a shouted, "Three minutes!"

Naruto suddenly wants to throw up.

"Oh, he's shaking! The poor thing!"

Naruto is surprised to find that he is shaking. To think that he's going to be going out there in front of a huge audience dressed up like this with the whole world to see made him nervous.

Naruto's mind is then bombarded with images of dad, of his brother and Naruto has to fight down the urge to pass out. He can only imagine what Kurama would do when they find out. Probably never let him live it down.

"It's going to be okay," one of the stylists says softly, rubbing his back in soothing circles. "You look magnificent."

Naruto just wants to cry. But he doesn't want to feel like more of a girl. So he tries stamping down the nervousness as he nods.

Not before long, he's being ushered outside and they have to restrain him a few times when he tries walking back to the room they just left. He even tries running just as they step onto set.

There are eyes on him and he wanders briefly if they all know that he's a boy. He hopes not.

Naruto's eyes wander around, until he spots Mikoto and his mom talking to the director. Because Mikoto and his mom's backs are facing him, the director is the first to spot him. He lights up like a Christmas tree.

"You look absolutely marvelous!" He cries.

Naruto blushes.

Mikoto and Kushina both follow his gaze and soon they're sporting twin expressions of delight. They both clap in glee. Naruto starts walking towards them but because he's not used to wearing such shoes he trips and falls face forward.

There's a surprised gasp. He doesn't know who from. Maybe it's his mom. Or one of the stylists.

I will not cry, he thinks to himself. I will not cry. He repeats this mantra over and over again just as a pair of small black shoes come into focus.

"Need a hand?" An unfamiliar voice asks.

Naruto's gaze slides from the black shoes, to the black pants, and up and up until he finds himself staring into dark eyes. Naruto smiles shyly up at him. His cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

He takes the offered hand, ignoring the 'awws' from the bystanders who are looking their way.

"You must be the new girl they cast," the dark eyed boy says.

"Y-yeah," Naruto stutters.

The nervousness Naruto had felt only seconds before turns down a few notches when he realizes that this boy doesn't realize he's not a girl.

Naruto nervously wipes the invisible dirt off his dress and tights before patting at his head to find the wig still intact. Naruto breathes a sigh of relief.

The boy looks like he's about to say something but before he can get a word out, they're both being pulled in two different directions.

They tell him that he only has to do three scenes. A scene where he acts as the flower girl, a second scene where he dances with the boy with the dark eyes and the final scene where he must catch a bouquet of flowers. Luckily for all three scenes he doesn't have to memorize lines. Naruto is still nervous though. He can feel his legs shaking.

What if something happens? What if he trips again, and this time he isn't so lucky? What if his wig falls off? What if? What if?

Just as they're ushering for everyone to get into position, he feels a hand on his shoulder.

Looking up he sees his mom smiling down at him, her face hidden by the wedding veil her character must wear.

"Don't be nervous. I'll be with you every step of the way."

She gives him one last squeeze before she's stepping back, his scene is up first.

"And scene 3 in 3, 2….1! Action!"

The music starts. The door to the chapel opens. All eyes turn to Naruto.

He knows he's supposed to walk. They told him that all he has to do for this scene is walk down the aisle and sprinkle flower petals onto the floor. Something that sounds so easy. But Naruto can't bring his feet to move. It's like his feet are glued to the floor.

He can hear the murmurs going on now, from the crew.

Naruto doesn't know how long he stands there. It could've been a few seconds, minutes or even an hour before the director is calling CUT.

"Is it stage fright?" He can hear someone whisper.

"Oh, the poor thing!"

"Look he's shaking!"

"It's only his first time!"

He can hear them all whispering, although they're not very good at it seeing as he can hear every word they're saying.

He kind of just wants to curl into a ball and cry.

Then the worst possible thing happens. He pukes. The set is in utter chaos.

"Will someone get a towel?!"

"Oh dear!"

He's then being ushered out of the room by his mother. And Naruto kind of wants to cry. There's puke on the dress.

"Oh honey," his mother sighs as he's being pushed into the dressing room they'd given him.

"Can someone get me some water?" She calls just before she clicks the door shut behind her. Not seeming to care if she gets her wedding gown dirty, she kneels down. "Turn around."

Naruto does as told, still feeling slightly queasy.

She unzips the back of his dress, letting the dress fall down onto the floor until it pools around his legs. She taps his leg, gesturing for him to lift them so she can get the dress from around his legs.

"I didn't know you'd be this scared," she says, taking off his shoes just as there's a knock sounding at the door. Naruto doesn't move as Kushina gets up to get the door. He's in some kind of little trance.

He's snapped out of it though when his mother returns with a small bottle of water.

"Here, drink," she orders and then she's rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Unfortunately it's too late to find a little girl to play the part. Do you think you're still up for it?"

Naruto's mouth wobbles. He wants to shake his head. Tell her no. Tell her that he doesn't want to dress up in a frilly little dress. That he's not a girl.

But instead he nods, because really, he has to look at the bright picture. Soon enough he'll be eating at Ichiraku's Ramen. Also, he doesn't think he could stand the look of disappointment on his mom's face. And although he still feels a little queasy at the thought of going back out there, he feels a tad bit better when his mother gives him a relieved smile.

She wipes his mouth with a cloth just as the three stylist from earlier enter.

"Oh you poor thing," Guren is the first to say before enveloping him into a hug. Once she lets him go, she sizes him up. "We'll get you looking marvelous again, in no time."

Then they're shooing his mother out.

It takes them roughly twenty minutes to find the perfect new dress for him. A white dress embroidered with flowers at the bottom. And this time they put him in more comfortable shoes which hopefully lessen the chance of him tripping and falling.

"And, we're done," Haku says. Or more like sings. "You look like a princess. I'd assume you were a girl if we didn't know any better."

He then winks. Guren and Mei nod in absolute agreement when suddenly there's a knock at the door.

"We're almost finished!"

The knock comes again. All three share a look before Mei offers to get it. She walks towards the door, opening it. Naruto looks over at it curiously.

The door widens revealing his mom and the dark eyed boy from before.

"Somebody wanted to see you before the shoot began," his mom says, ushering for the boy to go on in.

The boy looks at Naruto with concern that makes a tentative smile curl on his lips.

"Are you okay?"

Naruto nods. And something like relief washes over the boy's features.

"Good. It's okay to be nervous. This is your first time on screen right?"

"Y-yeah," Naruto stutters, trying to ignore the other adults in the room.

"I was nervous for my first time too. I practically peed my pants," the boy says.

"Really?" Naruto says, suddenly brightening a little knowing now that he isn't the only one who's done something as embarrassing on set.

The boy smiles, realizing that that was probably the right thing to say.

"Really."

Then Naruto watches as he takes something from his pocket. Once he sees what it is, he stares at it curiously. Suddenly the dark eyed boy is blushing as he holds it out, gesturing for Naruto to take it. Naruto takes the chain.

"My brother gave it to me for my first time. It's a rabbit's foot," he explains. "If you rub it, it's said to bring you good luck."

Naruto stares at the boy dubiously before his eyes wander to meet his mothers', who nods in agreement. So he rubs it, liking the texture of it.

"How do you feel?" The boy then asks.

"I don't know," Naruto says, uncertainly.

"You'll feel better in no time, promise," he says just as Naruto is handing him his rabbit's foot back. "You keep it. You can give it back to me when we're done."

"Thank you," Naruto says shyly.

Just as he's trying to find a place to put the rabbit's foot, a small little bejeweled bag materializes right in front of him. Haku puts the bag over his shoulder until it's hanging against his side.

"You can put it inside so you'll have it with you," he says.

It isn't long before they're being ushered out on to set.

After a few little mishaps (i.e. tripping, sneezing) as well as a few more encouraging words from the boy with the dark eyes do they finally get it right.

It isn't until he gets home does he realize he never got the boy's name.

**. . .**

Despite the fact that in the end all turned out well, it was the most traumatizing and embarrassing experience of Naruto Uzumaki's life.

After a bucket load of teasing from his brother, they no longer talk about what Naruto dubs 'The Incident.' Very creative, Naruto knows.

It's just his luck though that everything goes to shit ten years later. All Naruto wanted to do was finish his senior year of high school in peace. But forces (i.e. his family & Sasuke) won't leave him be.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
